Raisin Township road fix being discussed

MADISON TWP. — A meeting with Raisin Township’s new supervisor left Lenawee County Road Commission officials optimistic that progress will be made on improving local roads after years of neglect.

Jay Cavanaugh, who was elected in November, requested a meeting with road commission administrators, said managing director Scott Merillat. The purpose was to discuss options for dealing with deteriorated local roads and subdivision streets, he said. Some subdivision streets have not had work done in 30 years, he said.

Operations manager Jason Schnaidt told the road commission board on Dec. 20 that he offered to help Cavanaugh develop a 10-year plan for upgrading local roads. Schnaidt said he was encouraged by his interest in finding a fix for township road problems.

Raisin Township had stopped spending money on road projects in recent years, leading to a 2009 controversy when the road commission returned portions of the local section of Sutton Road to gravel. The pavement had deteriorated too much to maintain any longer, road commission officials said.

A repair project was later arranged, with the township paying to pave over the gravel sections.

Cavanaugh stressed local road improvements in his campaign for township supervisor last fall.

“Here in Raisin, we are seeing the complete neglect of our infrastructure, more specifically our roads. Because of conflicting laws and/or interpretation of those laws, the township and the road commission have encountered obstacles that have caused roads to deteriorate to a point that some may need to be completely rebuilt,” Cavanaugh stated in a response to a Daily Telegram questionnaire before the election.

“I am running for supervisor because I intend to lead our township to a solution to this problem and rebuild the infrastructure of Raisin Township,” Cavanaugh stated. “The result of this expansion will be higher revenues, not from increased taxes, but increased growth.”

A local road tax is an option for the township to consider, said road commission board chairman Stanley Wilson, who is a resident of Raisin Township.

“A millage would probably be the best thing for Raisin Township, they’re so far behind,” he said during the Dec. 20 board meeting.

Wilson said he believes voters in the township would support a tax if they understood 100 percent of the money would be spent on their local roads.

About half of Lenawee County’s 22 townships have road and bridge millages that fund improvements to local roads. State revenue received by the road commission pays for maintenance of township roads, but not improvements such as paving or adding layers of gravel.